State health officials also announced Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to curtail federal funding for COVID-19 vaccinations and surveillance, further alarming health advocates who are pushing for improved public health initiatives.
“This COVID-19 rollback of funding at the federal level is just another example of how…we don’t have that kind of support at the federal level, to continue doing important innovative research that will benefit the public and the health of the public,” said Mar Velez, director of policy at the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “We’re happy to see that legislators in California are doing their job and setting up infrastructure that will continue to support the health of Californians.”
Funding for the bill is likely to be an obstacle moving forward. If Trump is successful in pushing forth sweeping cuts to critical state programs such as MediCaid, California could face a severe budget deficit, Wiener said, adding that state leaders are looking for ways to prepare for the worst.
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